Anna Cales is the founder of Inti Knitwear. She has been working with the Ecuadorian knitters since the start in 1993. Each year she co-creates a new Inti collection with her head knitters. Everything is intertwined, living in the Netherlands, working in Ecuador, It became a natural and wonderful way of living.
The Beginning
In 1993 Leon and Anna started as adventurous backpackers to South America. It was love at first sight: the continent stole their hearts with its magnificent nature, colorful culture, and welcoming people. They never left. In thirty years, they created not only a fashion label, but a knitting family, and a studio in Otavalo where the knitters come together, to work, socialize, and eat together. The INTI team consists of 700 knitters and is closely involved with each step of the process, from the design phase to wool dyeing and knitting and the distribution of our products. INTI focuses on items that are hand-made with respect for nature, cultures, and people. Stitch by stitch, each piece is lovingly developed from high-quality materials, on two needles, by local knitters working in their own homes. To us, this is the essence of social sustainable fashion.
